Major drumming

Wednesday

Apr 30, 2008 at 12:01 AMApr 30, 2008 at 4:39 PM

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- With a swing in their step and a collective boom from their instruments, members of the Saints Drumline take the floor. The group from Columbus is making its second appearance at the Kentucky Derby Da'Ville Classic, a percussion showcase where student groups present their best.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- With a swing in their step and a collective boom from their instruments, members of the Saints Drumline take the floor.

The group from Columbus is making its second appearance at the Kentucky Derby Da'Ville Classic, a percussion showcase where student groups present their best.

The day is important, after all, and the competition -- though unranked and absent of trophies -- is fierce.

Still, Quenton Jeffers wants to smile -- just a little.

"Sometimes I get so happy when I'm playing," the 9-year-old bongo-drum player from Columbus said after the performance. "I was going to laugh, but I kept my mug face on."

Building the line

The Saints Drumline was born in 2003 with six kids tapping on a picnic table behind Clinton Middle School on Columbus' North Side.

Nowadays, the group is more likely to perform at an Ohio State University basketball game or Red, White & Boom. The drum line has also played at the Short North Gallery Hop, First Night Columbus and Canton's Pro Football Hall of Fame.

"When you look at where we came from to where we are now, it's just amazing," said Saints founder Marshall Cheatham. "We've been blessed."

Members of the Saints hail from both the city's center and surrounding suburbs -- a "gumbo" of social and economic backgrounds, Cheatam said.

Through donations, fund- raising and annual membership dues of $200, the group has acquired $15,000 in equipment, including bass drums, snare and tenor-snare drums, cymbals, bongos and a set of quads.

New members need no experience.

Cecil Jenkins, 14, plays saxophone in the Pickerington Central High School marching band. Wanting to expand his skills, though, he signed up about a month ago after watching the Saints play at a youth summit.

"They had kids that were 6, 7 -- all different ages," said Cecil, who plays bass drum. "That was the most incredible thing.

"From the first notes that I played, I knew I wanted to be a part of the drum line."

Carrying out a dream

Cheatham, 47, knows firsthand that music can positively affect young people: He grew up playing in a drum-and-bugle corps in Chicago.

Yet his tall, stocky build made him a prime candidate for high-school football -- and later, a full athletic scholarship to Vanderbilt University.

"At football games, I would rather watch the bands," he said. "I always had that calling to pick up my drumsticks."

Years later, while working as a probation officer for jailed youths in Chicago, Cheatham got some of the prisoners drumming. He later led two drum lines in the city.

After moving to Columbus in 2000, he gave music one more try -- with the Saints.

A small army of parents and volunteers organizes carpools and public appearances. And in 2005, Cheatham recruited Paul Woods, 24, a former drummer in the marching bands at Kentucky State and Jackson State universities, to help instruct the youths. The group doesn't use sheet music, instead relying on a call-and-response approach to learn the material.

Repetition is key.

"I don't think the kids realize that a lot of stuff they play is collegiate level," Woods said. "I'm hard on them, to a certain extent, but only because they have shown me that they can do it."

In addition to Woods' old college music, the Saints play energetic drum-line rhythms with names such as Street Beat, Too Ill and Get Krunk.

At the Da'Ville Classic, they left the gymnasium floor playing a beat modeled after the song Drop It Like It's Hot by rapper Snoop Dogg.

Meeting expectations

The words Saints members use to describe what the group means to them seem better suited to the military than music.

Discipline. Endurance. Leadership. Respect.

Questions or commands to players are met with "Yes, sir " or "No, ma'am."

But the kids quickly note that the drum line is a lot of fun, too.

"We're pretty much like a big family," said tenor snare player Chelsey Sumner, 14, of Columbus.

Still, expectations for succeeding are high.

Members whose grades at school are subpar can't attend practice. Those who drop sticks or talk when an adult has the floor, can anticipate a round of push-ups.

At the end of each practice, parents, students and instructors join hands in a circle to send prayers for family members; to reflect on tragedy at home and abroad; and even to build positive energy before the dreaded school-proficiency tests.

More than music, the drum line is also a reason to stay out of trouble.

Striving for success

Two-hour, twice-weekly rehearsals take place in the Rosewind Community Center in Linden, where space is provided free.

"We can keep kids out of the street, from fighting and guns -- that's what impacts me the most," said Jessica Cheatham, 17, Marshall's daughter and a cymbal player.

"People will stay on track so they can go to practice," said Jessica, who plans to study music education (and audition for the band) in the fall at Tennessee State University in Nashville.

The drum line serves as motivation to strive for excellence.

"It teaches us if you put your mind to something, you can do anything you want to do," said quad player Lovell Tufts, 12, of Columbus.

Older Saints know that they're role models.

"It used to feel so good to have the big kids help me," said cymbal player Alesha Collins, 14, of Columbus. "I'll help the kids during breaks. You can see it in their face when they get it."

As members graduate or pursue other interests, keeping younger players involved -- and attracting new ones -- is vital.

So, too, is planning for the future.

Cheatham and Woods envision a Saints-style drum line in dozens of cities nationwide.

For now, though, they're preparing for a busy summer.

Annissia Collins can't wait to show off for audiences once again -- especially those unfamiliar with the Saints.

"At first, they're like, 'What are these guys doing?' " said the 16-year-old tenor snare player from Columbus.

"But after we relax and start dancing, the crowd reacts to how we play. I just get a rush of adrenaline."

kjoy@dispatch.com

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.